Is it possible to download a USB drive with videos to my iPad so I can AirPlay them to my TV?

If your iPad has a Lightning connector, you will require an Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter:

https://store.apple.com/xc/product/MX5J3ZM/A

This Adapter has both a USB Type-A port with which to connect your USB storage device - and Lightning pass-through power connection to which you will [likely] need to connect your iPad's Power Adapter. The iPad's Lightning port cannot provide sufficient power for the majority of USB Storage devices.

NB: Third-party Adapters that lack the pass-through power connection are very unlikely to be suitable for connecting USB Storage to your iPad.

If instead your iPad has a USB-C port, you will require an appropriate USB Adapter or USB-C hub that incorporates a USB Type-A port. You'll not go wrong with an Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter:

https://store.apple.com/xc/product/MW5M3ZM/A

Having connected the Adapter to your iPad - and the USB ThumbDrive and your Power Adapter - you should find that the files on the ThumbDrive are accessible using the Files App (select the USB drive from the Files sidebar).

Your files can be copied from the ThumbDrive to your iPad storage - from where, if in a supported format, they can viewed.

You have very little storage capacity in the overall scheme of things. This means you may only be able to transfer/copy just a few videos. A 2 hour feature film can easily be 2 to 3 GB in size. Before attempting the download you should check your available storage space.

Can you take a photo of the USB drive you have the movies on and share it in a post? There are different connectors on the ends and I need to see the exact drive you have. If you can’t figure that part out, don’t worry, I can post/share photos of the ends and you can tell me which matches yours. 😀

Yes, most USB drives can be connected, via an adapter or dock, to most iPads. If the video files are in a compatible format, they can viewed on an iPad.

What model iPad and what OS version?

You’re welcome.

I forgot to link the video formats your iPad supports.

>>H.264 video up to 4K, 30 frames per second, High Profile level 4.2 with AAC‑LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio or Dolby Audio up to 1008 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo or multichannel audio, in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG‑4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC‑LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio or Dolby Audio up to 1008 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo or multichannel audio, in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M‑JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format<<

That’s a USB 2 connector. Pretty standard. Apple doesn’t show this product any more, so I’ll link to Amazon. Amazon is not my favorite merchant, but when you need a product Apple doesn’t make anymore then it’s many times your best bet.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B5HWS1XB?psc=1&ref_=cm_sw_r_ud_ct_HKXN49AEWB06DTXZ97WW&language=en_US

Your iPad supports the following video formats, so you should be good, but may have to use a 3rd party app (free) if the videos don’t play natively.

When I follow your link I see this,

This is why I recommend an off brand that has decent reviews for working with thumb drives. If it doesn’t work, she can return the adapter or if not for some reason is only out $10, which when compared to a lifetime of memories is not that big of an expense.

Curious - as both links I have provided (noting that neither are region specific) link to the correct product page. I did note, when posting, that the link URLs have recently been updated.

Perhaps your regional content delivery server is having a "moment" to catch-up...

Nonetheless, searching by product name should find each of the recommended Apple products - both of which are guaranteed to be compatible with the relevant iPad.

Jeff Donald wrote:

That’s a USB 2 connector. Pretty standard.

Actually this is a USB Type-A [plug] connector. From the photo alone, you cannot determine the interface speed 🙂